Cosmetology and barbering academy to open Monday

Adrian Jones, owner of Fashion Cuts Barber Shop, located on SR 484 near I-75, right, cuts the hair of Antonio Gordon, Friday afternoon, November 1, 2013. "I've followed this guy from shop to shop. I've been with him for 10 years now," Gordon said.

Published: Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 1, 2013 at 10:06 p.m.

When College of Central Florida discontinued its cosmetology and barbering programs due to state budget cuts in 2012, Delores Hunt, longtime manager of the programs, recalls two thoughts coming to mind.

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"When my program ended, I had 24 students on the waiting list for the next semester," Hunt said. "We always operated at full capacity, which was 45 to 50 in the day and 45 to 50 in the evenings."

The other was the teaching promise of two of her more successful students. The father-son duo of Herman and Adrian Jones opened their first Fashion Cuts barber shop on Northwest Martin Luther King Avenue in 1999. Since, they've expanded to four locations and say they're looking at more.

"Both of these gentlemen had a short stint helping out in the (CF) nighttime barbering program," she said. "I saw they had potential as teachers.

"Adrian had talked for years about opening a school. I have over 50 years in the industry so I knew I could help him."

The result is Fashion Cuts Hair & Beauty Academy, a cosmetology and barbering academy set to open Monday in Ocala, with classes scheduled to begin in January.

Adrian Jones is principal owner and his father is co-owner. Hunt, who was able to retire from CF after the school dropped her program, is the academy's director of education. Shannon Danko is director of admissions.

"With all of the uncertainties in the workforce, a lot of people are looking to start their own businesses and become entrepreneurs," Adrian Jones said. "The market for people wanting to come to classes like this and learn hair is wide open."

Classes are to begin Jan. 6, and the academy's staffers say they plan to begin recruiting for the first 20-student class on Monday.

Students must be at least 16 and have either a GED or high school diploma. Daytime classes are tentatively set for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with night class offerings set for 6 to 10 p.m.

Tuition is $11,500 for a 1,200-hour course in either cosmetology or barbering to span about 10 months. The school will offer, for $2,400, a shorter "bridge" class for people who have completed either the cosmetology or barbering programs and want to build on their existing skills to complete the other.

The school will make financing available, according to Danko.

"If we have a student who wants to come to school we have a company that will finance them," she said.

Hunt said she will handle much of the classroom work and will "be the one who puts scissors in the student's hand the first time," but the colleagues say the courses will be about much more than combing, cutting, shaving and shampooing. There will be lessons on business theory, sanitation practices and customer relations, among other topics.

"You're a businessperson, so you do need to know how to budget and how to properly do your taxes," Adrian Jones said. "We relate to people, so sometimes you might be a counselor, a friend. Here, we try to produce well-rounded people who can excel in all of these areas."

Hunt, 69, said she owned her first salon on Long Island, N.Y., before she was out of her teens. In all of her years in the business, she said, one of the more memorable moments was years ago with a regular Friday morning client at a shop in Inverness, an elderly woman who lived alone and had no family.

"I had a habit when I was done with everybody to pat them after I took the cape off," Hunt recalled. "One day, this woman looked up at me and said, ‘I want you to know you're the only person I have physical contact with.' I don't think people understand the tremendous influence we have on people."

For Herman and Adrian Jones, the academy is an opportunity to share the lessons they learned in building their chain of barber shops. Herman Jones, 54, worked in warehousing and trucking before deciding to take classes with Hunt at CF in 1998.

"I saw the change in the job market and a lot of uncertainty," he said. "I always had a passion for cutting hair. I knew there was a need and I was somewhat good at it. I figured I could do it for a long time and not worry about getting fired."

One of his fellow students in Hunt's class for a semester was son Adrian, 32. From there, the duo opened their first Fashion Cuts and grew the business over time.

"There was a lot Ms. Hunt instilled in us," Herman Jones said. "A lot of her teaching and professional advice is what we applied as a foundation. Consistency, hard work and dedication carried us through the tough times."

Danko, 39, said she had been considering opening her own hair and beauty school when she met Adrian Jones.

"Our goals were right in line," she recalled. "I wanted to produce the same type of student and we hit it off.

"We want to produce a student who sees this not as a job but a career," Danko said. "We want them to be polished, professional, to know how to retail product, to know how to maintain and grow a book of business so they can retire with this."

Adrian Jones said a key to success for him and his father is the passion they bring to the business, which employs 16 workers over the four locations.

"It's fun," he said. "And we enjoy bringing employment to people. We're going to keep doing that with this academy."

For more information on Fashion Cuts Hair & Beauty Academy, call 352-512-0333 or stop by the school in Ocala West shopping center at 2400 SW College Road, Suite 108.

<p>When College of Central Florida discontinued its cosmetology and barbering programs due to state budget cuts in 2012, Delores Hunt, longtime manager of the programs, recalls two thoughts coming to mind.</p><p>One was the demand for the courses at CF.</p><p>"When my program ended, I had 24 students on the waiting list for the next semester," Hunt said. "We always operated at full capacity, which was 45 to 50 in the day and 45 to 50 in the evenings."</p><p>The other was the teaching promise of two of her more successful students. The father-son duo of Herman and Adrian Jones opened their first Fashion Cuts barber shop on Northwest Martin Luther King Avenue in 1999. Since, they've expanded to four locations and say they're looking at more.</p><p>"Both of these gentlemen had a short stint helping out in the (CF) nighttime barbering program," she said. "I saw they had potential as teachers.</p><p>"Adrian had talked for years about opening a school. I have over 50 years in the industry so I knew I could help him."</p><p>The result is Fashion Cuts Hair & Beauty Academy, a cosmetology and barbering academy set to open Monday in Ocala, with classes scheduled to begin in January.</p><p>Adrian Jones is principal owner and his father is co-owner. Hunt, who was able to retire from CF after the school dropped her program, is the academy's director of education. Shannon Danko is director of admissions.</p><p>"With all of the uncertainties in the workforce, a lot of people are looking to start their own businesses and become entrepreneurs," Adrian Jones said. "The market for people wanting to come to classes like this and learn hair is wide open."</p><p>Classes are to begin Jan. 6, and the academy's staffers say they plan to begin recruiting for the first 20-student class on Monday.</p><p>Students must be at least 16 and have either a GED or high school diploma. Daytime classes are tentatively set for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with night class offerings set for 6 to 10 p.m.</p><p>Tuition is $11,500 for a 1,200-hour course in either cosmetology or barbering to span about 10 months. The school will offer, for $2,400, a shorter "bridge" class for people who have completed either the cosmetology or barbering programs and want to build on their existing skills to complete the other.</p><p>The school will make financing available, according to Danko.</p><p>"If we have a student who wants to come to school we have a company that will finance them," she said.</p><p>Hunt said she will handle much of the classroom work and will "be the one who puts scissors in the student's hand the first time," but the colleagues say the courses will be about much more than combing, cutting, shaving and shampooing. There will be lessons on business theory, sanitation practices and customer relations, among other topics.</p><p>"You're a businessperson, so you do need to know how to budget and how to properly do your taxes," Adrian Jones said. "We relate to people, so sometimes you might be a counselor, a friend. Here, we try to produce well-rounded people who can excel in all of these areas."</p><p>Hunt, 69, said she owned her first salon on Long Island, N.Y., before she was out of her teens. In all of her years in the business, she said, one of the more memorable moments was years ago with a regular Friday morning client at a shop in Inverness, an elderly woman who lived alone and had no family.</p><p>"I had a habit when I was done with everybody to pat them after I took the cape off," Hunt recalled. "One day, this woman looked up at me and said, 'I want you to know you're the only person I have physical contact with.' I don't think people understand the tremendous influence we have on people."</p><p>For Herman and Adrian Jones, the academy is an opportunity to share the lessons they learned in building their chain of barber shops. Herman Jones, 54, worked in warehousing and trucking before deciding to take classes with Hunt at CF in 1998.</p><p>"I saw the change in the job market and a lot of uncertainty," he said. "I always had a passion for cutting hair. I knew there was a need and I was somewhat good at it. I figured I could do it for a long time and not worry about getting fired."</p><p>One of his fellow students in Hunt's class for a semester was son Adrian, 32. From there, the duo opened their first Fashion Cuts and grew the business over time.</p><p>"There was a lot Ms. Hunt instilled in us," Herman Jones said. "A lot of her teaching and professional advice is what we applied as a foundation. Consistency, hard work and dedication carried us through the tough times."</p><p>Danko, 39, said she had been considering opening her own hair and beauty school when she met Adrian Jones.</p><p>"Our goals were right in line," she recalled. "I wanted to produce the same type of student and we hit it off.</p><p>"We want to produce a student who sees this not as a job but a career," Danko said. "We want them to be polished, professional, to know how to retail product, to know how to maintain and grow a book of business so they can retire with this."</p><p>Adrian Jones said a key to success for him and his father is the passion they bring to the business, which employs 16 workers over the four locations.</p><p>"It's fun," he said. "And we enjoy bringing employment to people. We're going to keep doing that with this academy."</p><p>For more information on Fashion Cuts Hair & Beauty Academy, call 352-512-0333 or stop by the school in Ocala West shopping center at 2400 SW College Road, Suite 108.</p>